The Weight of a Heart
by Cathook
Summary: Jack and Daniel get buried alive by a Goa'uld who has taken the identity of the Egyptian goddess Ma'at. With their relationship wounded by the recent events in Menace and Daniel struggling, it falls to Jack to step up and get them out.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Jack and Daniel get buried alive by a Goa'uld who has taken the identity of the Egyptian goddess Ma'at. With their relationship wounded by the recent events in _Menace_ and Daniel struggling, it falls to Jack to step up and get them out.

**Timeline:** Season 5, right after the episode _Menace_.

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* * *

**The Weight of a Heart**

"It's a tomb, Jack. We're buried alive."

Daniel sat in the centre of the cubic chamber, next to a high brass candlestick with one single burning candle. The light it gave was dimmed and flickered across the painted stone walls.

"Yeah, but we're still alive. We just gotta find a way out of here." Jack looked around. "There's gotta be a door here somewhere."

He didn't want to think about the alternative. Unfortunately it wasn't entirely impossible that there was no door. More than a few of the galaxy's inhabitants had technologies that would make it possible to put their captives in a room with no entrance – and as such no exit. _But, as aforementioned – not gonna think about that._

Jack ran his fingers over the wall, feeling for a crack that might be invisible in the low light. He would find it and he would blast their way out of here. After all, that was what he did – at least when there weren't any way for Daniel to talk their way out of it. That was their division of expertise. Daniel talked and achieved diplomatic solutions – and Jack blew things up.

On the third wall he searched he found what he was looking for. It wasn't more than a line in the stone, but he followed it and found it forming a perfect square on the wall. He turned to his friend with a self-satisfied grin.

"On your feet, Daniel. A few more minutes and we'll be out of this hole."

He grabbed his pack and dug out a piece of C4, quickly estimating the thickness of the wall and calculating the amount he would need to make a hole without killing them both with the blast. He affixed the explosives to the door and took the remote detonator in his hand. Then he shoved Daniel into the farthest corner of the room. Hunching down their eyes met for just a moment, then Jack flipped the switch and the detonation reverberated between the walls.

The blast blew out the candle and left them in utter darkness. Digging in his chest pocket Daniel remembered that the only thing that had been taken from them was their flashlights. He had thought it weird at the time, and it made no more sense now. Their captors had left them everything else, including their weapons, but had taken anything that could make a light.

"You okay?" Jack asked and Daniel felt him search for him in the dark. He grabbed the colonel's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm fine. Let's see if we made it through."

In that moment there was a change in the darkness. Daniel blinked and saw shapes appearing out of the black. He could make out the figure of Jack right next to him. Then the features became clearer, as did the rest of the room. Looking around he took in the destruction. The floor was strewn with debris of varying sizes, the largest pieces as big as Daniel's own head. He shuddered at the sight of one of them just a few inches away. If it had flown just a bit further he wouldn't have been looking at anything anymore.

He lifted his gaze and looked towards the opposite wall. The air was still thick with dust from the pulverized stone, but he thought he saw a darker area where the C4 had exploded. What stood between them and it was curiouser though. The tall brass candlestick had survived the blast without toppling over, and atop it the candle burned again.

Jack didn't give the candlestick more than a quizzical look before he circled it and approached the hole in the wall.

"Daniel…"

His call drew Daniel's attention away from the candle. He crossed the room, trying to decipher the emotion in Jack's voice. As he got closer the dark patch in the wall became clearer, and he realized it wasn't the darkness of a tunnel beyond the blown out door. Framed by the jagged stone was a smooth metal surface, which bore no sign of being affected by the explosion that had obliterated the wall.

* * *

"Welcome to sunny PNX-463. Today we have a balmy 85 degrees Fahrenheit with no clouds so be sure to drink a lot and put on plenty of sunscreen. To your right you can see sand, and to your left there is more sand."

"Jack…"

"We are just coming up on the first stop of the tour: the only tree in a five mile radius. Note its lack of leaves and the sandblastered branches, witnessing to the complete lack of moisture in this entire god forsaken place of death."

"Jack!" Daniel's raised voice finally halted the colonel's tour guide rant. "Are you going to do that all the way?"

"What, you don't like to listen to someone prattle on all the time like an energizer bunny of pointless information?"

"Haha…very funny, Jack." Daniel's voice dripped with sarcasm worthy of the very colonel he was talking to. "Actually I'd gladly listen to your guide book track. That is if you could get any of the facts right. Why don't you stick to shooting things and leave the talking to those with an actual multisyllabic vocabulary."

Sam and Teal'c, who walked a few steps behind, exchanged a concerned look. This wasn't their teammates' usual banter; there was an edge to the voices and the glares held real anger. They had always rubbed each other the wrong way, more or less along their growing friendship, but lately something had changed the good natured mutual teasing to badly hidden hostility. Sam knew what the problem was, but she had no clue how to help her friends get over it and make up like they had so many times before. As long as she'd known them the two men had had a never ending line of disagreements, about military objectives versus exploration, whether ruins were interesting, and shooting versus talking to solve a problem – but few had left them in such a stalemate of unspoken differences as the android Reese's death.

They tried to put on a good face, working together in a mainly polite fashion, and most people weren't the wiser. Sometimes however when only SG-1 were present their façade would fall down to reveal the rift between them. Sam wished they would just talk about their problems, but they were both equally stubborn in avoiding the actual subject. They bickered about everything between heaven and earth but never touched the name Reese or any of the events surrounding her.

"As you well know, Jack, there is both water and trees by the village," Daniel pointed out, unaware of the exchange behind his back. He was intentionally using the lecturing tone of voice he knew Jack hated. "The village which is full of life and proving that there is plenty of life in this 'god forsaken place of death'. Besides, the tree back there – it isn't dead either. It's an extraordinary example of the adaptability of living organisms…"

Jack groaned and put his fingers in his ears, and Sam could tell by the change in Daniel's posture that he was grinning with satisfaction.

A change appeared in the landscape. The uniform sand fell away into a wide canyon where a river flowed slowly between green irrigated fields. There were trees, just as Daniel had said, and a small collection of buildings. A few children played beside a group of women washing clothes in the river. Daniel immediately snapped into his greeting mode and strode ahead of the team to deliver his 'peaceful explorers'-spiel.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, what do we do now?" Daniel asked and plunked himself down on the floor again next to the candlestick.

"Well, my way didn't work…" Jack took care to keep his tone neutral. This was not the time to get into another argument. He wanted Daniel on his good side right now if they were going to get out.

Daniel said nothing. He just looked at Jack with slightly raised eyebrows. He could tell he was really trying, and he knew as well that the situation was far too serious for petty gloating, but he didn't trust his voice to be as cooperative as Jack's. Instead he motioned with his hand for the colonel to continue.

"So…well…do you have any ideas?" Jack said. "You haven't even looked at the paintings and stuff." The neutral tone broke with a tint of desperation. It worried Jack to see his usually energetic friend just ignore a roomful of hieroglyphics, not to mention not arguing with him blowing up one of the walls of said room. In reality he'd been worried for a while now. Ever since the Reese-business Daniel had been distant and irritable. Jack had saved his life by shooting her. He had done what was necessary – he was convinced of it – but Daniel wouldn't forgive him for killing the girl. It was driving him insane.

Daniel sighed and got on his feet in a motion distinctly lacking in enthusiasm. Approaching the nearest wall he brushed away the stone dust that had settled from the explosion and traced the black painted figure that became visible, translating it in a hushed whisper.

"Cursed."

He almost laughed at the irony of the word. _Yeah, it would seem I am cursed._ He brushed away a bit more dirt to uncover the entire sentence.

"I have not cursed against the King."

The words rang a muted bell in his mind, finally igniting a spark of his trademark curiosity. Brushing more dust off he spoke to Jack over his shoulder.

"Could you get me my kit out of the bag and hand me the big brush?"

Jack obliged, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he watched the younger man dive into uncovering the text on the wall.

* * *

The women by the river had sent a child to fetch the elder of the village. They wouldn't talk to the strangers without their leader, so SG-1 waited in silence. Jack rocked on his heels and surreptitiously scanned the village with his gaze. His trained eyes registered everything, searching for signs of a hidden threat. The oasis scene in the canyon was as idyllic as he'd ever seen, and even his suspicious scrutiny could find nothing to ring his alarm bells. He relaxed a little.

The elder appeared from the largest building, steadying himself between a young woman and a carved staff. The Bedouin robes he wore and his aged face drew Daniel's thoughts to his father in law, Kasuf, and unasked the image of Sha're drifted before his eyes. He blinked hard and shook his head. Hedidn't have time for dwelling on her right now.

"Hello," the old man greeted them. Despite his fragile appearance his voice was strong and his gaze was steady and scrutinizing. That reminded Daniel even more of Kasuf. It had been long since he last saw him, probably almost a year since Sha're's son had reached out to Daniel through him. He knew he should visit him more often, but he still found it hard to look him in the eye. He had failed his promise to save Sha're, and even if Kasuf forgave him he simply couldn't forgive himself. Blinking hard to stem the tears he realized he had spaced out again and missed the introductions.

The old man turned around and Daniel understood he had invited them to his house. He let the others go ahead of him, but Jack lingered and walked by his side.

"You okay, Daniel?"

The concern in the colonel's voice annoyed him. He didn't want sympathy, and he didn't think Jack really wanted to hear about his age-old sorrows yet again. It had been two years since Sha're died and he should probably be over it by now. He shrugged and plastered a smile on his face.

"I'm fine," he said, putting the annoyance into his voice and watched Jack react just the way he'd expected.

Jack frowned and bit his tongue to reel in the instinctive snap back response. He studied Daniel's face for one more second, but the younger man's defenses had efficiently gone up to lock away whatever was bothering him.

"Alright," he sighed. "Just keep your head in the game."

"Yes, Jack. By the way, what did he say his name was?"

Daniel sounded like a testy teenager and Jack frowned again, but he answered without comment or even his usual mispronunciation.

"Abuhadi."

Inside the elder's house they took a seat on big embroidered cushions and the young woman served a hot coffee-like beverage in small porcelain cups. Abuhadi raised his cup and took a sip. Daniel followed his example but ended up studying the geometric pattern of the utensil's glace instead.

"Welcome to Bel'dah-Ma'at," Abuhadi said and Daniel forced himself to focus.

"Thank you. You have a beautiful village. 'Bel'dah-Ma'at' – it means 'the land of Ma'at', doesn't it?"

The old man nodded with a grin that reveled two gapped rows of teeth.

"It does. Our land was once ruled by the goddess Ma'at, but that was several generations ago. Her palace and temple has long since been torn down by time."

"Would it be alright if we visited the ruins? We don't want to offend if there is some reason you don't want us to go there, but I would find it very interesting to see them."

Abuhadi chuckled and waved a wrinkled hand at him.

"The ruins hold no significance to our people, apart from the delicious couma-berries that grow in its shadows. There is nothing there to see but tumbled buildings, but if you insist one of the Meri-Ma'at can show you the way in the morning."

"Who are the Meri-Ma'at?"

"It means 'beloved by Ma'at'. It is what we call our young men who have yet to lay down their first prey. It is said that innocent young men were especially beloved by the goddess when she walked our soil. The fairest and most righteous among them would be chosen to serve in her divine halls. Of course, no one really believes that now. Some even doubt the goddess ever actually walked the physical earth."

"What do you believe?"

"It matters not whether she was once here. The past is the past. All that matters is now."

SG-1 set out in the first light accompanied by a scrawny teenager with a shaggy mop of black hair. The boy was practically bouncing with pride and nervous energy and cast badly hidden side-glances at them all the way.

It wasn't a long walk and they reached the ruins within an hour. Daniel stopped a distance away to get an overview of the site, digging out his video camera to capture the tumbled stone structure from an initial wide angle. He would get footage of the details later, but he wanted to make sure he got a good picture to show the gigantic scope of the building.

"The site appears to be the remains of one large building," he spoke into the camera microphone while slowly approaching the ruin. "According to the natives it was the palace and temple of Ma'at – probably a Goa'uld who used to reside on this planet. The building shows clear signs of Egyptian influence…"

Jack tuned out the murmur of Daniel's voice. It wasn't so hard when the lecture wasn't directed in his direction. For a moment he wondered why he was so annoyed with Daniel lately – then his eyes fell on their guide and swept the concern into another direction. The boy was staring intently at Daniel who was approaching the ruin's arched entrance. The excited expression on his face had been replaced by anxious anticipation. Suddenly he ripped his eyes from Daniel and noticed that Jack was looking at him. A wave of discomfort rippled through his body, making him step from one foot to the other. Shadowing his face with one hand he looked towards the sky. Jack followed his gaze but saw nothing but the rising sun.

"I…ehm…I must return to the village," the boy blurted out, turning on his heal and sprinting back the way they'd come. Jack stared after him, the crease on his forehead flattening out to surprise.

"What was that about?" he muttered and turned back to check on his team. Daniel was at the ruin now, no doubt zooming in on some details on the stones and making comments on their historical significance. Sam had sat down on a stone a few yards away with Teal'c standing next to her like a statue. Jack lifted his cap and wiped the sweat from his brow. Despite the early hour it was already getting hot. Readjusting the cap he strolled over to Daniel to offer him some water.

"How's it going, Danny?"

Daniel paused his recording and looked up. He accepted the canteen and took a sip.

"Good. I'm just getting some pictures of the façade before I go in. You wanna join me and take a look at the inside?"

The childish gleam on Daniel's face made Jack's heart melt. Despite knowing he would probably be bored within the range of seconds he nodded and followed Daniel through the crumbling archway.

Sam saw the two men disappear into the ruin, but it took her sun-dazed mind a moment to realize what she'd seen.

"Teal'c…did you see that?"

"I did, MajorCarter."

"What was it? Have you seen anything like it?"

"I have not."

Sam turned to look at him. It wasn't easy to tell, but she saw the signs of tension in his shoulders and the tighter grip on his staff weapon. He was worried, just like her. She clicked her radio.

"Colonel?"

The radio buzzed with static but no reply, so she repeated the call to Daniel as well. When she still received no answer she exchanged a look with Teal'c and they both hurried toward the ruin with primed weapons. They slowed down when they got closer to the archway, sidling up on either side of the opening. It looked completely normal now; the strange visual phenomenon that had appeared when Jack and Daniel entered was nowhere to be seen.

Sam stretched out her P90 and passed it in under the arch. A ripple appeared in the air and spread out like a rainbow wave over the surface of the building.

"Must be a force field of some kind," she said and poked it again. This time she pushed the weapon in further, observing that it seemed to disappear beyond the force field. A foot in the barrel hit a hard surface. She carefully stretched out a hand as well and shuddered when the force field freakishly cut it off at the wrist.

"There's something blocking the way," she told Teal'c as she let her hand slide over the invisible surface. "Wood, I think – like a door or something." She paced away from the arch, then turned back. "Something's not right here. The colonel and Daniel passed through so the door must have been closed behind them. That means there's someone in there. The force field is some kind of illusion to hide behind. We might need some backup."


	3. Chapter 3

"It's an exact copy of the negative confessions in the Papyrus of Ani."

Jack quenched a comment to the fact that Daniel's words meant nothing to him, but couldn't keep the question mark expression off his face.

"Have you heard of the Book of the Dead?" Daniel asked, in a friendlier tone than Jack had heard for a long while. The term rang a bell, so he nodded with a pleased smile.

"Yeah, some kind of funeral thingy…text."

Daniel regarded him, then a crooked smile dawned on his face. For a moment pride shone from his eyes, but just as quickly as it had appeared the smile extinguished and the defeated tone returned to his voice.

"You're right, Jack. It was a funeral text and it was sometimes written on the walls of Egyptian tombs. It makes this a beautiful and extraordinary find, but none of that helps us at all. We are still buried alive and there is no way out of here. We're both going to die down here."

Jack sighed and shook his head. For a moment he had thought Daniel had snapped out of his rut, but it seemed he was determined not to hope. _Whatever's eating at him is sure doing a number on his survival instinct._ Jack wasn't about to give up that easily though.

"It has to be some kind of clue," he insisted. "There has to be some way to get out of here."

"Aren't you listening?!" Daniel exploded, his voice raised in a frustrated whine. "There's nothing here but assurances that the one buried here – which is us – has committed no sins and therefore should be admitted to the afterlife. It's just idealistic statements like the ones I made on behalf of Sha're at her funeral."

And there it was, he had uttered her name aloud. The name that always hovered somewhere in his consciousness but he never acknowledged. Tears of frustration burned in his eyes and he turned his back on Jack to hide them. He didn't know how long he stood there; pressing his forehead to the smooth stone, but eventually his attention was brought back to Jack by a scuffle behind him. He turned to find the colonel on his knees, moving debris and sweeping the floor with a brush from his tool kit. Against his will he was intrigued.

"What are you doing?"

His question made Jack pause and look up. Then he pointed to the ceiling.

"There are paintings on the ceiling too, and the floor. Maybe they say something…more helpful."

Daniel couldn't help smiling at the hope in Jack's voice. He pushed away from the wall and took a look at the ceiling. Jack had already brushed off the dust that had stuck there after the explosion and Daniel saw that it was indeed painted with images and hieroglyphs. A scene at the center, straight above the candlestick, depicted a young woman with wings attached to her outstretched arms, standing next to a big balancing scale. On one of the scale's pans stood a stylized feather, and in the other what looked like a heart.

"That's Ma'at," he told Jack. "She was the goddess of harmony, justice and truth in ancient Egypt. The negative confessions are connected to her and to the belief that a person's heart was weighed after their death to judge how they had lived their life. That's what the scale is depicting."

He returned to the hieroglyphs, spiraling out from the image of Ma'at in circle upon circles. To read the text he had to walk backwards with his head upturned, nearly tripping on the debris on the floor as he slowly made his way around the room. Jack watched him, coming to his rescue a few times when he was about to fall, and listened as he translated in a low mumbled voice.

"Homage to Thee, O Great Goddess, Mistress of all Truth, who weighs the hearts of men and gods. I offer my heart to your scale of Justice. I know Thee and am attuned with Thee and Thy two and forty laws which exist with Thee in this Chamber of Ma'at. – It's a prayer," Daniel explained when he reached the end. "It fits with the confessions, but it's not an uncommon feature in Egyptian tombs so it doesn't really tell us how to get out of here. Jack, I don't think there is a way out. There is nothing we can do in here, except wait to die."

Jack frowned at the umpteenth surrender from his friend. _It may be so, Danny-boy, that there is no way out, but I'll be damned if I give up any time before my last breath. And that is usually your position as well. What's wrong with you?_

He kept his thoughts to himself however and instead tried to apply a fresh eye to their situation. Scrutinizing the chamber yet again he had to admit that Daniel had a point. There wasn't anything to do; no buttons to push or hidden compartments to break into. Even the door had turned out to be a fake. The only thing they hadn't brought in there with them was the paintings on the walls and the candle stick. He eyed the floor he had cleared so far. Something was tugging at him, a thought waving in the corner of his mind's eye like the flickering flame at the edge of his physical field of vision. The image on the floor reminded him of something. Hesitantly the jigsaw pieces began clicking into place.

"Daniel, does this look like a huge scale to you?"

Daniel followed his indicating finger to the painting on the floor. He tilted his head with a thoughtful expression, and finally nodded.

"Yeah, kind of. But…from above. It's a funny perspective – very unusual for Egyptian imagery – but it's quite skillfully made." He tilted his head again. "If you look at it from just the right direction it really has some depth."

Jack knelt down and brushed away some more dust, fully uncovering a large circular shape. It seemed to depict one pan of a balance scale. Lines connected it to the candlestick in the centre of the room, like the beam resting on the pillar of a scale.

"There's a feather drawn here. What does that mean?"

"It's one of Ma'at's symbols – the ostrich feather. According to ancient Egyptian belief it was the counter weight when a man's heart was weighed after his death. If he had committed no sins his heart would be lighter than the feather and he would be allowed to enter the afterlife."

Jack followed the lines beyond the candlestick.

"Daniel…"

Daniel panned his eyes down and saw the circle of the second pan encompassing his feet. He stepped back and knelt down to take a better look.

"That's unusual…" he mumbled, leaving the thought hanging. Jack waited for the rest of it, but finally the curiosity overpowered him.

"What is?"

"Oh…" Daniel blinked as if he had just woken up from a dream. "The pan is empty. Look at the picture in the ceiling. One of the pans has a feather, and in the other is the heart of a man. That is the usual imagery. I don't think I've ever seen a scale of Ma'at with only the feather. The whole point is that the heart is weighed against it."

"There was something else in it though," Jack said slowly. The pieces of the puzzle were almost fitting now. He knew – just _knew_ – this was the clue they had been looking for; the key to how to get out.

"What do you mean?" Daniel wasn't getting the image.

"You were," Jack explained, " – just now. You followed the writing on the ceiling and that's where you ended up. That has to mean something." His voice gained urgency as he spoke. He refused to sign up to Daniel's defeatist attitude and was determined to get him to snap back into his usual mode of not giving up. He jumped to his feet and waved at the walls and ceiling. "All of this has to be a bunch of clues. Why would they go to so much trouble just to give us a pretty grave to die in?! They even gave us a candle to see it all with. Why would they do that after taking away our own flashlights, if it didn't have a purpose?! Come on, Daniel. You're the smart one – help me figure this out."

Daniel looked at him – studied his face. Jack had a point. The candle was odd, as was the floor painting. Everything else he would have expected to find in a tomb, although the chamber did lack the rest of the customary trimmings – such as a dead body or gifts for the afterlife. Things were pointing more and more towards that this was not a normal tomb, but rather a chamber to put prisoners in. Perhaps there was a way out.

The thought pushed unwelcome hope to the surface. He had resigned to dying here, but now his more natural survival instinct drove him to his feet. His eyes darted from the scale on the floor to the ceiling to the walls. He approached the hole they had made with the C4 and tentatively touched the metal behind the wall.

"Why is this here?" he pondered. "If there's metal behind every wall – which we can assume – why are there even stone walls?"

Jack held his tongue. He knew Daniel was just thinking out loud. He did that often just before reaching a conclusion that explained everything. Jack smiled inwardly. _Finally._

"What can stone walls give that the metal doesn't suffice for?" Daniel rushed to touch the closest inscription. "The stone walls are here for the same reason as the candle – for the murals. So why do they want us to read them?" He returned his gaze to the prayer written on the ceiling. "I offer my heart to your scale of Justice…"

The mumbled words made something click into place in Jack's mind, the last missing piece.

"Daniel…didn't you say people's hearts were weighed on this Matt-fellow's scale to prove their innocence. Could this whole thing be some kind of trial? Could that be why the second pan of the scale is empty – 'cause we're suppose to…? We don't have to literally put our hearts there, right?!" He swallowed against the nausea brought on by the image his far too vivid imagination produced for him. To his relief Daniel shook his head.

"I doubt it. The weighing of the heart is linked to the negative confessions – even stronger here than in most references on Earth. It's purely figurative. I think you're right; it could be a trial of sorts."

"But if it's a trial, what's it about? We can't defend ourselves if we don't know what crime we're accused of."

The spark in Daniel's eyes dampened again, and his voice dropped to an ominous low pitch.

"The crime is sin. The negative confessions are statements of not having committed different sins. We have to say all forty-two to be declared innocent."

"Okay…we better get started then. Where's the first one?"

Daniel smiled without joy and pointed, "Over there." Jack felt his heart sink as he followed the line of the finger to the ruined wall.

"Daniel…please tell me you know those confessions by heart?"

For a beat Daniel just looked at him inexpressively, then he nodded slowly and gave him a wider, more genuine smile.

"I do."


	4. Chapter 4

General Hammond forced himself no to run down the stairs. The howling sirens announcing the unscheduled incoming wormhole always gave him a sinking feeling of dread. Unscheduled dial-ins rarely carried good news. It was either an attack or one of their allies requesting help or – the one he hated the most – one of his teams in trouble. Since SG-1 was currently on a mission he was unfortunately fairly certain what it would be this time. His premiere team had a tendency to get themselves into trouble without even trying. Trouble seemed to be attracted to them like bees to a flower.

"General, it's SG-1." Sergeant Walter Harriman's words confirmed his suspicion as he entered the control room. He marched to the window and gazed down to the blue event horizon contained by the Stargate. The gate-room was empty. _They must still be on the other side. _He nodded to Walter to open the com link.

"SG-1? This is General Hammond. What's your situation?"

"Carter here, sir. Teal'c and I are fine, but we lost contact with Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson a couple of hours ago after they entered the ruin. I think it was a trap. There's a force field of some kind that's displaying an illusion. I'm not sure what's behind it but it seems more solid than the ruin. We tried to find a way in, but someone blocked the way O'Neill and Daniel entered. Requesting backup for a search and rescue, sir, and I might need some instruments to figure out the force field and possibly take it down."

"Alright, Major. SG-3 will join you shortly, and bring you what you need."

They severed the connection and the wormhole winked out. Hammond allowed himself a silent curse – _can't they just once stay out of trouble?_ – before turning to the sergeant beside him.

"Walter, get SG-3 ready to embark with the materials Major Carter requested."

* * *

"How do we know if it's working?"

Daniel paused the finger that was tracing the text on the wall, but didn't turn around as he answered the interruption from across the room.

"I don't know – maybe when we get through all of them something'll happen." There was no reply to this, so he continued reading their next negative confession aloud. "Number thirty five: I have never stopped the flow of water."

"I have never stopped the flow of water," Jack repeated, and Daniel moved on to the next line. Before he started reading though, Jack spoke again. "It can't be this easy."

"What do you mean?" Daniel turned to look at him this time, worry immediately etched on his face. Jack felt a need to squirm but resisted.

"I mean…it's a little too simple, isn't it? All this engineering just to get us to read aloud from the walls? It's never that easy."

The frown on Daniel's face deepened, and Jack wished he hadn't voiced – or had – the feeling something was off. But he did have the feeling, and he couldn't not say anything about it.

"So what are you saying?" Daniel asked, crossing his arms across his chest in a gesture that somehow managed to express both annoyance and agony. "You think we're wrong? That it isn't about the negative confessions? We've almost gone all the way through them and it's not going to do anything?" His voice was slipping dangerously close to giving up again, and Jack shook his head vigorously to halt the progression.

"No, I'm sure the confessions are the key. I just think we might have missed something. When you read the prayer you ended up in the empty scale pan. And you keep saying the legends say people's hearts were weighed on the scale." Jack heard his voice wander into the pondering melody that usually belonged to Daniel, but he pressed on ignoring the implications and possible future teasing material of him suddenly speaking geek. "I know you said it was figurative, but you also said the scale on the floor was odd. It has to mean something; why else would it be here? Maybe we're supposed to say the confessions from that specific spot on the floor, in the pan of the scale – like a confession stand, weighing our hearts."

Daniel looked from Jack to the floor painting and back again. Then he took a quick step into the ring that depicted the empty scale pan.

"I have not committed sin," he said, reciting the first of the negative confessions from memory. He didn't expect anything to happen, it hadn't the first time – or with any of the following thirty-four negative confessions they'd been rambling off for the past half-hour. He drew breath to continue with the next one but the air caught in his throat. The candle, standing straight in front of him, seemed to react to his words this time. The flame that had burned steadily ever since they found themselves here rapidly grew, flooding the chamber with light and heat. For a moment Daniel thought he saw it gain an orangey tint, but the flame shrank back again before he could be sure that he'd seen right.

"Well, that was different." Jack walked over to him, giving the candlestick wide berth in case it might unexpectedly decide to do something else. "My turn?"

Daniel nodded and moved out of the way. Jack stepped into the circle and repeated the confession. They both watched the candle intently for a reaction. The flame grew just as it had when Daniel spoke, and he was fairly certain it was a little more orange than before.

They switched places again and Daniel recited the next confession, "I have not committed robbery with violence." This time the flame flared white for him, like a flash of lightning, but when Jack repeated the words it was orange again. Their eyes met in a look that said they both felt there had to be a meaning to this, but neither knew what that meaning might be so Daniel moved on to confession number three.

"I have not stolen."

This time the flame near enough exploded when Jack repeated the sentence, the flare sending a blood red fireball into the ceiling and the two men reeling back against the wall. The intense heat only lasted a moment, but it took several seconds before Jack finally tore himself away from trying to meld into the stone.

"What was that?" he asked while checking that both his eyebrows were still in place. Daniel pushed himself away from the wall as well and made a face that said he had an answer, but that Jack probably wouldn't like it.

"I suspect it means you're lying. It must be some kind of lie detector, with colors and reactions as indicators of truthfulness."

Jack warily eyed the now innocent little flame.

"And what happens if we don't pass the test?"

Daniel met his eyes and sighed. Then he shrugged and stepped back onto the scale pan on the floor.

"I don't know, but we don't really have any options, do we? Now, where were we? Oh, right – I have not slain men and women."

* * *

Half an hour after Sam's call the SGC dialed back to PNX-463. General Hammond said his 'Godspeed' from the control room and Major Warren led his team through the event horizon.

"Major."

"Major."

Sam and Warren exchanged salutes.

"The general gave you command," Warren said, and Sam nodded acknowledgment.

"Okay. Let's go to the village first. I want to talk to their leader. It isn't impossible the villagers had something to do with this, or at the least withheld us information about the ruins."

The village looked just as idyllic as when SG-1 had first arrived, but when the rescue team moved toward Abuhadi's house they noticed two young men posted outside like guards. Sam approached them warily.

"We want to see Abuhadi," she said commandingly, subconsciously tensing in anticipation of a negative response. The guard looked at her for a moment, and then he gestured her inside.

"You may enter. The others will remain outside."

Warren sought Sam's eyes with a warning, but she shook her head and entered the house. They both knew she needed to talk to the village elder. He could know where Jack and Daniel were – and she wanted to know if the seemingly nice old man had actually set them up, or sold them out.

Abuhadi sat on his pillow on the floor and graciously invited her to sit as well. Just like last time his young aid hurried forth with a steaming cup, but Sam declined the hot beverage with an irritated wave of her hand.

"What is the matter?" Abuhadi asked, his eyebrows shooting up towards his turban. "Did you not find what you sought at the ruins?"

"Yes and no," Sam replied, studying his face to gauge his reaction. "We had only begun to explore it when two of our team disappeared."

The expression on Abuhadi's face didn't change, but there was a stiffness to it that gave Sam a bad feeling he wasn't being quite sincere. Nonetheless his voice seemed genuinely concerned when he replied.

"That is unfortunate. Would you like our aid in searching for them? I could send a group of Meri-Ma'at with you to the ruins. They know the area well; I am sure they can find your friends."

"Thank you, but I just wanted to ask if you might have had any idea where they could have gone. There aren't any hidden dangers in the ruins that you forgot to warn us of?" Sam scarcely resisted the irony trying to sneak into her voice. "Are there other people who live nearby who may have captured or harmed them?"

Abuhadi shook his head and donned another innocently surprised expression.

"We are the only tribe who live in these parts. Our nearest neighbors are many days journey away, and they are our friends. They would not harm our guests."

Sam considered him for a moment, but decided she wouldn't get anything more from him. With a forced smile as thanks she rose and exited the house. Teal'c was right outside where she'd left him, and informed her that SG-3 had spread out to take a look around the village. Sam hailed Warren on the radio.

"Finish the sweep and meet us by the river," she ordered before heading down towards the water with Teal'c in tow.

By the river a few children were playing in the shallows, their screams and laughter ringing shrilly in the clear afternoon air. Sam sat down on the bank and waved to them, receiving a row of smiles and waves in return. One little girl, about six or seven years old, crawled out of the water and sat down next to her.

"Hello," Sam said with a smile. The girl met her eyes with wide brown orbs and absently stuck a strand of hair into her mouth and chewed on it.

"Hi," she responded shyly, but without turning her awed gaze away from Sam's face.

"I'm Sam. What's your name?"

"Aida." The answer came quickly, but then the girl went silent. It looked like she was holding her breath while working up the courage to ask her a question.

"Why is your hair the color of the sand?" she finally whispered. Sam suppressed a laugh and ruffled the girl's own black curls.

"I was born with it. Where I come from some people have blonde hair, some have black like yours, and others have red or brown."

The girl returned her smile with glittering eyes.

"My cousin has brown hair," she declared proudly, and this time Sam couldn't hold back the giggle.

"That's nice. Can I ask you something, Aida? Do you know the ruins out in the desert?"

Aida nodded twice, but her smile faltered a little at the mention of the ruins. She looked uncomfortable, worried. _Or scared even_, Sam thought.

"There's something out there, isn't there? Something scary?"

The girl nodded again, and finally cast her eyes down.

"They aren't real," she whispered with a quivering voice. "The ruins – they aren't real. And _she_…she's inside – hiding." Her eyes snapped up to meat Sam's again. "She'll take you if you go near the ruins."

"Who?" Sam gently prodded for the last piece of information to confirm her suspicions. "Who hides inside the ruins?" Aida's eyes grew wide with fear, but she spoke the name anyway.

"Ma'at."

"Thank you, Aida." Sam grabbed Aida's hands and squeezed them firmly before letting the girl run back to her friends to play. She was fairly sure the scary things they'd discussed would soon be forgotten. Getting to her feet the turned her radio on.

"Warren, gather your team. We're heading for the ruins – right now. We've been royally had by these people."

There was a click on the radio that signaled acknowledgment, and a moment later the other major appeared from a house and jogged over to her and Teal'c. After a few minutes the rest of SG-3 had joined them and they could set out towards the ruins. Sam shared what she had learned along the way.

"There's still a Goa'uld on this planet. The old man lied to us – and lured us out there to be captured. The ruin's some kind of smoke screen for the Goa'uld to hide behind."

"Are you sure it's a Goa'uld?" Warren asked. Sam nodded with a grim face.

"She goes by the name Ma'at. This planet, or area at least, is named after her. Abuhadi said she hadn't been seen in generations, but one of the kids said she's hiding in the ruins. She even told me the ruins weren't real. I just hope we haven't wasted too much time in the village."

"So, do we have a plan?"

Sam made a grimace. _Not specifically._

"We have to get past the illusion," she said, thinking as she spoke. "We either have to take it down or feel our way to an opening in whatever's behind it. Teal'c and I tried feeling our way around, but it's difficult since we have no idea what's really there. There could be an opening were there seems to be solid stone or vice versa. Perhaps we can disturb the force field enough to reveal something. There were fluctuations when we touched it so it's possible a big enough disturbance would at least let us get a glimpse of what's behind it." An almost evil smirk appeared on her lips. "How much C4 do we have?"

"We packed a little extra," Warren replied with a mirroring smile.

"Good, then we have a worst case solution if a stealthy approach doesn't work. If nothing else it should punch a hole for us if we can't find one."

They halted when the ruins appeared behind the next sand dune. The site looked empty, just like when SG-1 had seen it first, but this time Sam knew it was just an illusion. Within the building they couldn't see there could be guards – _Jaffa_ – watching. She signaled to the others to stay low. With the dunes for cover they circled around until they reached the ruin. Sam wasn't sure they'd avoided detection, but it was the best they could do.

They proceeded carefully by keeping close to the wall and feeling their way. The many hands sent wave after wave of distortions across the force field and made the illusion flicker in and out of focus. Sam took a step back and watched. The real building looked to be the same as the ruin, simply not destroyed by the wear of wind and time. The walls were high, brilliantly white and perfectly smooth. _We might have to use the C4._ Another wave of disturbance rippled across the building and revealed a black rectangle about six feet off the ground.

"Warren, did you bring rope?"

"Yeah, Judson should have it. Why?"

Sam nodded up toward the rehidden opportunity.

"I saw a window we might be able to climb in through – if we can get the rope up there."

Warren ordered Judson to bring out the rope, and guided by glimpses of the window he hit the opening in just a few tries. The grappling hook landed on the windowsill with a clink. They waited anxiously for a full minute, but there was no sign anyone inside had noticed. Sam went first up the rope. It was odd climbing along the illusion, watching it ripple in rainbow waves under her touch. She felt the edge of the window and carefully peeked her head inside. The illusion vanished when she put her head through and she looked into a gilded hallway. It had all the features she recognized from Goa'uld palaces and ships, thus confirming what they were dealing with. She climbed inside and stuck her head back out through the window. To the ones waiting below it seemed to appear straight out of the wall.

"Coast is clear," she called, and the rest of the rescue team climbed up after her.

They advanced through the palace with weapons primed. At each corner they halted and took the turn with quick precision, expecting to run into Jaffa patrols at any moment, but the halls turned out to be surprisingly empty. The few guards they did see were easily avoided as they seemed far from alert.

"Not much security," Warren commented when they hid from another lone Jaffa strolling down the corridor.

Teal'c watched his kinsman as well, and made a small but clearly disdainful face in his direction.

"Indeed," he said. "These Jaffa are poorly disciplined."

"They probably don't expect anyone to get inside the palace unless they let them," Sam guessed, and added hopefully, "If we can find O'Neill and Daniel we might be able to get out of here without much of a fight."

The enemy soldier disappeared behind a corner and they slipped out of their cover. After a several twist and turns, and another two sessions of hide without the seek, the halls led them to a balcony overlooking a grand hall. Sam crouched down and crept up to the balustrade. The voice of a woman drifted up to her.

"It is almost finished. Prepare to bring them up."


	5. Chapter 5

"I have not blasphemed the gods."

Jack could barely contain his laughter when the candle flamed a violent red at Daniel's words. It was the wildest reaction they had seen so far, despite the _colorful _truths revealed by Jack's confessions. He'd gotten several red reactions, but this one expelled a fireball that lingered several seconds in the ceiling.

"I guess that's a bad one according to old Matty," Jack chuckled, and Daniel burst out laughing too. It was so typical Jack to mispronounce or distort the names of people they met off-world, especially if they were Goa'uld. Daniel strongly suspected he did it on purpose – at least most of the time – as a way of spiting the self-professed gods of the universe even in situations as dire as the current one. Daniel smirked and batted his eyelashes.

"Yeah, it usually is with Goa'uld, but technically I haven't blasphemed. We just killed a few of them."

The innocent sounding comment felled Jack to the ground, laughter forcing tears to his eyes.

"Apparently it counts," he huffed out and tried to collect himself enough to take his turn with the blatant lie. The words came out in bursts between the laughter but he got a satisfyingly angry red eruption from the candle, just like Daniel, that sent them both into another fit of laughter.

They let the merriment run its course before they continued. It felt good to laugh together – and not fight. Jack could still sense the heaviness resting over Daniel, but he thought the rift between them had sealed a little. Finally Daniel straightened up and checked the wording of their next negative confession on the wall.

"How many do we have left?" Jack asked, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Five," Daniel replied and moved to the correct spot on the floor to deliver the confession. None of the following statements compared to the violent reaction they'd just witnessed and a few minutes later Jack spoke the last confession to a flare of white.

The flame restored to normal size. Then it shrank, as if running out of oxygen, and winked out. The chamber began to shake. A sinking feeling in Jack's stomach reminded him of riding an elevator and he realized their tomb was moving, up. A pinpoint of light appeared at the centre of the ceiling, spreading into a bright line stretching wall to wall. With a rumble the ceiling slid open, blinding them both with white light.

Strong hands stretched down and pulled them out to stand blinking in what seemed to be a grand hall. The P90 was wrenched from Jack's grip and the abundantly clear threat of a primed staff weapon convinced him not argue as his handgun and knife were taken as well. Daniel received the same treatment but barely noticed. He was busy looking around.

As his eyes adjusted to the glaring light he identified the interior decoration signature of a Goa'uld impersonating an Egyptian god. There was gold and opulent fabrics, hieroglyphs and mythological imagery. It was a throne room, with rows of pillars that lead the eye toward the raised dais where the throne itself stood. On the throne sat a young woman clad in silk in gold, purple and black. At least a dozen Jaffa, including the four who had pulled them out of the tomb, stood on guard throughout the room and watching their every move.

Having relieved them of their weapons, the Jaffa not so gently urged them to approach the throne. The woman eyed them as they came to a stop in front of her, and the Jaffa placed themselves in a semicircle around them. There was no obvious hostility but it was clear that would change in a blink of an eye if they made a single move against the Goa'uld. Jack reigned in his instinctual response to leap at the snakehead on the throne. _It wouldn't be very productive with all these guards. We'll have to wait for the opportune moment._

The young woman rose and opened her arms as if to embrace them, or simply in a dramatic gesture. The fabric of her dress spread out like wings; perfectly imitating the depiction of Ma'at in the ceiling of the tomb. She smiled, but the there was no warmth in the expression.

"I am Ma'at," she said, and her voice vibrated with the distorted resonance of the symbiote. The sound woke both fear and familiarity in Jack's heart as she continued. "I am Justice. I am Truth. The judge of men and gods. You have been weighed and your hearts have been found heavy with sin. It is time you receive my just punishment for your transgressions. Executioner!"

Her words took a moment to register in Jack's mind. Just a moment, but a moment too long. The Jaffa pounced from behind and despite Jack's struggle his arms were pulled behind his back and tied tightly with ropes. He struggled harder and kicked out against the Jaffa. An 'ough' told him the foot had found its target, but before he could get another one in his legs were caught and bound as well. With all four limbs tied the Jaffa quickly got him under control and pulled him too his knees. Three feet away Daniel was being forced into the same position and Jack saw his arms and legs had been bound like his own. A bleeding lip on one the Jaffa who held his friend made pride swell in his chest. _Good work, Daniel. Don't let 'em get you easy. _The Goa'uld's voice drew his attention again.

"Your struggle is meaningless. I _am_ Justice. You cannot escape me."

Jack glared at her and wished he had followed the impulse to attack at once.

"You don't have any right to judge us!" he yelled. "That list down there – it's impossible! No one can rightfully say they haven't done any of those things! And maybe I've – we've – done a few of the worse ones, but…I've never killed a man unnecessarily. We work for justice too, and freedom. I kill in self-defense, or defending others who can't defend themselves – to fight evil and lies. Like the lie of Goa'uld parasites impersonating gods and enslaving people."

He regretted the last sentence just as it passed his lips without consulting his infuriated brain. Ma'at's eyes flashed white and she closed the distance between them in two long steps.

"I am NOT like my brethren," she hissed at him. "Gods and men all lie _beneath_ Justice and I dispense judgment wherever it is due. Bring the young one."

The silk swept across Jack's face as she steamed past him. The Jaffa forced him to his feet and turned him around. Beside him the Jaffa lifted up Daniel up and dragged him after the Goa'uld to the centre of the room. Where the open tomb had been there was now a solid floor and a big wooden block next to a huge man, with a seemingly even huger axe resting on the ground. On a signal from Ma'at the Jaffa placed Daniel down and forced him to lie his head down on the block.

Jack screamed and thrashed against the grip of his own guards but four alien strengthened hands held him tightly. They forced him to watch as Ma'at gave another signal and the executioner lifted the axe above his head.

The blade gleamed in a stray ray of sun, casting reflexes across the room and into Jack's eyes filling up with tears. Time seemed to slow as the executioner tensed his muscles for the cut. Jack struggled again but he was held fast by his guards. The heavy axe began its downfall, slicing the air towards Daniel's neck, and Jack's view blurred with tears he could no longer hold back.

A voice that sounded an awful lot like his own mumbled a prayer to God – the only divinity he hadn't yet seen perverted by the snakeheads infesting the galaxy. Praying wasn't something he usually did, but it seemed like the right thing to do now. In fact it was the only thing left to do. In the passing of the past seconds he'd already damned the whole universe to hell and back to no avail.

A shot rang out. The unexpected snap of an Earth-made weapon took a moment to register in Jack's mind, and before he had grasped what was happening the throne room had descended into chaos. More shots echoed on the stone walls – _machine gun fire_. Blinking against the infernal tears Jack caught sight of Daniel on the floor next to the wooden block. His head was still on his shoulders but he wasn't moving.

Hope reawakened and spurred by the need to check on his friend, Jack threw himself sideways into the Jaffa to his right. With the commotion surrounding them the guard was distracted and the shoulder that hit him in the back of his knee felled him to the ground. Jack didn't pause to congratulate himself. As he toppled onto of the fallen Jaffa he swung his bound legs into the shins of the other one, felling that one too and grinning at the satisfying crack of a Jaffa scull hitting the ground.

The first guard was getting his bearings back and grabbed Jack from behind; locking his back bound arms in a grip that was like a vice. The pain in Jack's shoulders only sharpened his well trained mind and he reacted with a whiplash snap of his head. The back of his scull connected with the Jaffa's nose and the grip weakened a smidge. It was enough for Jack to twist loose and turn to plant both feet in the only weak point he knew on the alien warrior, the symbiote pouch. The blow made the Jaffa bend over like a folding knife. Jack took one last look at him and then crawled over to Daniel like an inch worm, only vaguely noticing the bullets and staff blasts whizzing through the air around him.

After her first shot had taken out the executioner Sam she had ordered the full assault on the throne room. As planned they took the Goa'uld and her Jaffa by surprise. With satisfaction Sam saw the alien's eyes flash with anger as she ordered her guards to attack the earthlings and under cover of the fire disappear out a side door. She caught a glimpse of Jack fighting his guards – with success – and focused her efforts on taking control of the room.

Jack found the executioner lying next to Daniel with a bullet hole perfectly placed between his eyes. He felt nothing but relief at the sight of the dead man, and gratitude that Sam was on his side. His eyes wandered on to the axe that had landed just an inch from Daniel's head, and a chill went through him. A small cut on the archaeologist's head had left a trickle of blood down his cheek and Jack realized the axe hadn't entirely missed its target. He turned and felt his way to the blade with his hands. A few quick jerks along the sharp edge cut the ropes from his wrists and he bent over Daniel to check for a pulse. The impact of the glancing blow had knocked him unconscious, but while Jack was checking his vital signs he felt Daniel stir.

"Jack?"

The moan was low but clearly audible, and Jack belatedly realized the fighting had stopped. He looked up and saw Sam hurrying toward them.

"Are you alright, sir? Is Daniel hurt?"

"I'm okay," he responded and watched the relief wash over her face. "Daniel took a blow to the head but he's waking up. Give me your knife."

Sam slid her combat knife out of the sheath and handed it over to Jack who used it to cut Daniel's bonds. With steady hands they both helped the woozy man to his feet. Jack took the moment as he found his footing to assess their situation. Some of the Jaffa lay dead on the floor, and half a dozen were gathered beside the dais under the watchful eyes of SG-3 and Teal'c.

"Good work, Carter," Jack said with pride swelling in his chest. It was good to have a team he could count on. "But I see another one of our snakehead friends have slithered out of our grasp again."

"Yeah…I'm sorry, sir, but she set her Jaffa on us and snuck out the back door. Should we pursue?"

Jack glanced at Daniel still leaning heavily on his shoulder.

"No, let's just get out of here."

"Colonel…?" Sam drew the word out and hesitated before she continued. "I'd like to look for the device that created that illusion effect on the outside of the fortress. It could be a valuable piece of technology."

Jack huffed and made a grimace. He wasn't sure what she was talking about, but he knew he didn't like it. Unfortunately she was right. Useful technology was their primary objective, and if there was some here they should look for it. Meanwhile Daniel needed to get back to Earth and have Dr. Fraiser have a look at him. Jack really didn't like it, but there was no other way but to split up.

"Okay. Keep SG-3 and take a look around. Teal'c can help me get Daniel back to the base. Watch out for more Jaffa, and if the snake-lady comes back with reinforcements get the hell out of here. We'll keep the 'gate open for frequent checkups, okay?!"

"Yes, sir."

Despite her proper address he could hear the excitement in her voice and a smile broke across his face. She was like a kid in a toy store when it came to alien technology.

"Go ahead, Carter. Go play with the alien doohickeys."

Sam squeezed Daniel's hand before nearly skipping over to SG-3. She exchanged a few words with Teal'c who gave her a small nod and walked back to their teammates. Supporting Daniel on both sides he and Jack went on their way home. Sam watched them go and then turned to Warren.

"Let's see if we can find that illusion device."


	6. Chapter 6

Daniel would never really remember the walk to the Stargate. His head hurt and he was nauseous. His vision was blurry to the point where he wondered if he had lost his glasses. He lifted a hand and felt across his face. The spectacles were there, but there was also something sticky that he realized was blood. He spaced out and lost track of time, coming back to notice that his feet weren't doing their job. Concentrating hard he tried his best to get them moving again to keep up with the strong soldiers on either side of him, but inevitably his mind drifted again.

The sound of the 'gate spinning brought him back again in time to stumble his way through the wormhole. Jack must have called ahead because Janet met them in the gate-room and immediately rushed him up to the infirmary.

"Colonel?"

The general marched in and managed to encompass a million questions in the single word. Jack, who was already halfway out the door after Daniel and Fraiser, halted himself midstep and resigned to first giving some answers.

"No casualties, sir, and Daniel just took a blow to the head. The rescue arrived in the nick of time though. A moment later…" Jack shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if Sam hadn't rolled in the rescue wagon when she did. "Either way, they sent the snakehead packing and stayed to find some illusion thingy-ma-jig. I promised we'd dial back to check in on them."

Hammond nodded and headed up to the control room with Jack and Teal'c in tow. Walter was the technician on duty and he was already keying up the symbols for PNX-463 on the computer before the general needed to give the order.

When Jack finally made his way to the infirmary Daniel had been laid up in a bed with his head wrapped in a white cap of bandages. He was awake and waved to Jack when he came in through the door. Jack plunked himself down in a chair by the side of the bed.

"How you doing, Danny?"

"I'm still a little woozy, but Janet says I'll be okay. The axe just glanced me." Daniel smiled but Jack couldn't help thinking that the bandage and bleary look in his eyes said it had been a little more than a glance. His concerns must have showed on his face, because Daniel's smile faded and was replaced by worry.

"Is everyone else okay?" he asked and Jack hurried to adjust his facial expression.

"Everyone's fine. Matty tucked her snaky tail between her legs and ran when the reinforcements arrived, so Carter decided to stay and try to find the illusion device."

"Illusion device?" Daniel blinked and tried to figure out what he'd missed.

"Yeah, apparently the ruin was an illusion," Jack explained. "The ruin was an illusion hiding the palace it and Carter wants to see if the technology can be useful."

"And what about Ma'at?"

"She got away. It looks like she fled the scene; they haven't seen any sign of her since the fight."

"Too bad." Daniel's lips twisted to a slightly evil smirk. "We could have added her to the list."

"The list?" This time it was Jack's turn to be confused. Daniel's smile widened.

"Yeah, the list of snakeheads we've killed."

Jack met his eyes and a matching smile broke across his face. Within seconds the infirmary echoed with their laughter.

Pain in his neck made Jack aware he had fallen asleep in the chair – _again. Why do I always do that?!_ He straightened up and rubbed the sore area. A glance at the bed told him Daniel was asleep, and a glance to the door told him what had waked him up. Sam and Teal'c stood in the doorway and entered when he greeted them with a smile.

"How's he doing?" Sam asked with a nod to the bed. Jack yawned and stretched before answering, nearly sliding out of his seat in the process.

"Concussion," he finally uttered, reseating himself and inviting Sam and Teal'c to join him. "Doc finally let him go to sleep a while ago. How did the search go? Find anything?"

Sam sighed and sat down in the chair next to him while Teal'c placed himself at the foot of Daniel's bed.

"We found the device," Sam said, "but it's integrated into the building. We'll have to study it in place. I'm going back in an hour to get SG-16 started on it. The General put SG-1 on stand-down while Daniel recovers, so I want to get as much time as I can with the device. I assume you'll be staying here, sir?"

Jack nodded. He wouldn't leave Daniel's side unless he had to, even if he didn't like to have a part of his team in the field without him. Sam saw the concern on his face and smiled reassuringly.

"Teal'c is coming with me, sir, and there's been no sign of Ma'at since the fight."

Daniel was in fact not sleeping, but he didn't mind letting his team think so. It was nice to lie there with his eyes closed and listen to them talking. They were his team – _my family_. He heard Jack's voice again and thought about what they'd just been through. In a flash he realized he had been prepared to give up down there in the tomb. _I would have if it hadn't been for Jack. He got us out. He was the one who made me read the text and he figured out what we had to do – with the specific spot on the floor and everything. He even admitted his way didn't work_. The insight hit Daniel like a stroke of lightning. _Maybe I've been unfair to him, holding a grudge over Reese. He only did what he thought he had to do. I'm the one who failed her. I'm the one who couldn't save her, by stopping her before he had to shoot her. _

Daniel opened his eyes and spotted Jack alone by his side. The others must have left while he was lost in thought. The colonel noticed he was awake and met his gaze with his brown eyes and a smile.

"Hey, you."

"Hi, Jack…ehm…Jack…I'm sorry."

Daniel broke eye contact and turned his gaze down to his hands fiddling with the blanket.

"About what?" Jack asked surprised and Daniel looked up again.

"I've been...angry with you. It wasn't fair. Can you forgive me?"

Jack sighed with relief, and then leaned forward and squeezed his friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're feeling better. Now we can forget about it, and move on."

Daniel smiled weakly. _Yeah...sure. Forget and move on._ He forced the smile wider and pushed away the thoughts of Reese. They would end up where all the people he had lost resided, buried deep in his mind. He wouldn't forget, he never did, especially not the ones he had failed to save.

"I should commend you," he said to Jack and received another quizzical look. His smile became more genuine and a little playful. "You figured the riddle out this time. I'm impressed, actually. You usually defer that to me or Sam."

By the time he'd finished talking Jack was smiling too with a proudly mischievous glitter in his eyes.

"Yeah, I did good, didn't I?"


End file.
